St. Antoine’s Front Country wins Green Earth Book Award

The Nature Generation announced the 2023 Green Earth Book award winners this Earth Day, “representing the best in environmental literature for children and young adults.” Sara St. Antoine’s Front Country received honors in the Young Adult Fiction category. See all the award winners here.

Sara reflects on Front Country on her website: 

“I wrote the book for teens and tweens, especially those who, like Ginny, are wrestling with what it means to be growing up in a time so clouded by climate uncertainty. But the book explores many other concerns, too: friendship, parenting, identity . . . and wilderness. Many of the kids' daily activities--from setting up tents to stowing their food packs to washing their clothes in a collapsible bucket--may be totally unfamiliar to readers who have never tried backcountry camping.” …

“As I've put together my Top 100 book list, I've come to realize that these sorts of wilderness experiences aren't written about much in children's literature these days--especially not in teen fiction. A few YA fantasy titles feature imaginary wild lands, as do some scary dystopian ones. But there almost seems to be an assumption that books set in the out of doors won't appeal to high schoolers at all. So while Front Country is officially a middle reader novel, I hope it will offer even older teens the chance to immerse themselves imaginatively, as Ginny does literally, in some awesome alpine wilderness.”